The Relative Importance of Physical Attractiveness and Personality Characteristics to the Mate Choices of Women and Their Fathers

Abstract

Prior research assessing mate preferences among women and their parents reveals the potential for conflict within families; daughters value characteristics indicating genetic quality, such as physical attractiveness, more strongly than their parents do. However, prior research also suggests the potential for agreement within families; both daughters and their parents report valuing other mate characteristics much more strongly than physical attractiveness (e.g., mutual affection, intelligence, etc.). We assessed mate preferences among 86 daughter-father pairs using an experimental design varying target men’s physical attractiveness and personality characteristics. We tested five hypotheses investigating the relative importance of physical attractiveness and personality traits to women and their fathers as well as the potential for mate choice conflict between women and their fathers. Both women and their fathers were strongly influenced by the physical attractiveness of the target men and rated more attractive target men as more desirable partners for themselves or for their daughters. Reinforcing the importance of physical attractiveness, men with the most desirable personality profiles were rated more favorably than their counterparts only when they were moderately attractive or more attractive; unattractive men were never rated as more desirable partners for daughters, regardless of their personality profiles. However, physical attractiveness was more strongly related to women’s own dating preferences whereas personality favorability was more strongly related to fathers’ preferences for their daughters. Furthermore, when women and their fathers disagreed about the best mate, women chose the more attractive man while fathers chose the man with the more desirable personality traits. The importance of physical attractiveness to women’s mate choices may lead to conflict with their fathers.